The fabulous thing about this recipe is flexibility. Want more bacon? Add more bacon. Not enough garlic? Add more garlic. Or add fresh, sauteed garlic.

There is just enough mayonnaise to make the dressing slightly creamy, making it a little more dense so that it clings to the potatoes. And to those who don’t like spice: DON’T FEAR THE HOT SAUCE. You don’t have to add a lot. But let me tell you, until I added the hot sauce, the dressing was lacking. The hot sauce gave it a depth of flavor that wasn’t there before.

And what I absolutely LOVE: you can taste the beer! I used Flying Dog Golden Ale: it’s crisp and clean and a nice neutral beer for this dish. But I would really like to try this recipe with an IPA, since they pair so well with both spice and blue cheese. If you experiment, let me know!

We ate this salad warm, but I’m really looking forward to those leftovers. I bet the potatoes have absorbed all that delicious dressing…yum…My cookouts just got better.

Bacon, Blue Cheese and Beer Potato Salad

2.5-3 lbs potatoes (I used red)

6 slices bacon (turkey for us!)

4 scallions or spring onions

1/2 cup beer

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

hot sauce

salt and pepper

1 cup blue cheese

Wash potatoes and chop into bite size pieces. Place in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender. While you are waiting for the potatoes to come to a boil, cook the bacon and let cool. Chop your onion (use whites and greens) and bacon. In the bottom of your serving bowl, combine beer, mayonnaise, mustard, garlic powder, and add hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste. When the potatoes are done, drain and add to the beer mixture. Add onions, bacon and blue cheese. Combine and serve.